Breaking: Coast Guard issues safety alerts in wake of Carnival Splendor fire

by Chris Owen on

In a Marine Safety Alert issued yesterday the US Coast Guard urges ship owners to verify and test their Fixed Fire Fighting systems to be sure they work right.

The two Coast Guard alerts “refer to the Carnival Splendor” and the fire that shut down the ship November 8, 2010 verified marine industry journal Professional Mariner.

Noting the ship’s crew responded correctly, the Coast Guard said the disabling fire was “responded to and extinguished by the vessel’s quick response team firefighters using portable extinguishing equipment.”

Where the alert part of this development comes into play refers to Splendor’s fixed firefighting system which had been recently inspected but failed to operate as designed. It seems the directions on how to operate the system and how it actually operates are different, what the Coast Guard called “a recipe for failure”.

The Coast Guard issued a strong recommendation for ship builders and owners to verify and test installations to insure they will “operate correctly during an emergency”.

As Gadling reported previously, propulsion systems, electricity, climate control, water and entertainment were all disabled, and the ship was stuck 200 miles off the coast of San Diego as a result of the fire.

Flickr photo by gnr

Not all bad news as cruise lines look ahead

by Chris Owen on

Recently it seems the news is full of doom and gloom for some of the major cruise lines. One ship catches fire, another gets tossed around by a freak weather event and the topic of cruise safety comes up front and center. But good news is on the horizon as ships sail into 2011 and an evolving cruise industry gives us exactly what we want.

On board, ships like new Norwegian Epic and Royal Caribbeans Oasis-class ships offer top-shelf entertainment options from Broadway musicals to dining experiences like Epic’s Cirque Dreams and Dinner show. Activities go far beyond bingo and shuffleboard to include high-energy surfing on a bunch of Royal Caribbean ships to a tranquil day away from it all in Princess Cruises Sanctuary where “Solitude seekers will be able to escape completely” the line says on its interactive website.

The cruise lines hear the call for transparency and responsibility in what they do too. Princess Cruises and Holland America continue the drive to plug in to shore-side power at an increasing rate. Celebrity Cruises now has solar technology mounted on all Solstice-class ships along with a new hull design that reduces fuel usage.

On pricing, it’s a buyers market with AOL Travel reporting special offers like Norwegian Cruise Line offering free upgrades through March 27Th adding “A swell of other promotions from other lines is likely to be announced in the coming weeks.” Indeed, value-leader Carnival Cruise Lines has fares starting at $70 a day and even luxury lines are offering special incentives like sailing a Seabourn yacht for up to 50% off.

As cruise lines look ahead, Cruise Lines International Association, celebrating their 35 years of cruise vacations, sums it up nicely saying “The cruise industry has evolved to be a leader in innovation and technological advancement. Cruise vacations are fun, safe and offer a wide variety of amenities and recreational activities that appeal to all vacationers”

Flickr photo by Port of San Diego

3 no-brainer cruise safety tips

by Chris Owen on

There are a lot of great features on your upcoming cruise vacation. Good times with friends and/or family, seeing new and exotic ports of call or visiting ones you’ve already seen again and lots of stuff to do on board the ship are just a few.

You’ll be encouraged to get into the whole experience and that’s good advice. You can unwind, relax and come away a new, renewed person. Throughout your voyage you’ll have the opportunity to do or not do some things that can impact your experience. Here are three cruise safety tips that focus on some things you don’t want to do.

  1. Don’t blindly trust the youth counselors– We want to believe the best of everyone and we really want to believe that the people we trust with our kids are good people. Take a few minutes from time to time throughout the voyage to make eye contact with and talk to the youth counselors that will have direct contact with your kid. If you see something odd in those eyes, don’t be afraid to walk right out of there with your kid. Trust your instincts as a parent; they are as good at sea as they are on land.
  2. Don’t visit crew areas of the ship– This sounds like a no-brainer, crossing over into the world marked “crew-only”, but here’s one good reason for it: While you are visiting with your new crew friend, you are surely not in your cabin and that would be a great time for some other crew member to get in and take your stuff. If you or someone you know is entering the crew-only world that’s a big red flag that something is wrong. Maybe that person is drinking too much and having an alcohol-induced crush on that handsome bartender with the charming accent.
  3. Don’t blindly go ashore- Bad stuff can happen when traveling anyplace by any method of travel. There are bad parts of most all towns whether on a Caribbean island or in the middle of some continent. Going ashore, from a native point of view, there are two kinds of people; those going on an organized shore excursion and those going it on their own. The later are the easy marks and the ones crooks most commonly target. Yes, there are rare stories of groups on excursions being held up too but a couple or small group walking around town for shopping are easy prey.

Bombs under cruise terminal to be removed

by Chris Owen on

The US Army Corps of Engineers says old Navy munitions found under Seattle’s cruise ship terminal are not a major threat and cleanup is underway. Still, that the old shells and weapons were initially uncovered by cruise ship thrusters and that has experts talking.

“Wherever munitions have been handled in the past, they have rolled off the pier, they’ve been dropped out of cargo net. It’s perfectly normal, it’s expected. What is unexpected is that there is a cruise ship terminal built directly above where some of these munitions are.” Jim Barton, an expert in underwater munitions, told Seattle’s King5.com back in October.

Divers started spotting the munitions in April as part of routine security sweeps required by the Coast Guard. Apparently the bombs were dropped in the water between the 1930s and 1970 when the U.S. Navy used the the facility. Initially it was empty shell casings found by divers but later searches revealed live ammunition capable of being exploded under where cruise ships travel.

“These are munitions, designed to kill people. Barton said adding “They’re pretty safe to be around unless you disturb them”

When the munitions were first discovered, Seattle’s cruise ship season was still in operation. Records indicate that at least two times in September, live ammunition was brought to the surface with cruise ships nearby.

This week the Corps of Engineers announced that it is leading a $10 million cleanup project with the Port of Seattle, U.S. Navy, Coast Guard and Environmental Protection Agency. Check this initial report about it all below:


Flickr photo iwona_kellie

Judge bans predator from cruise, ruling raises questions

by Chris Owen on

An Illinois man is accused of being a sexual predator, gets arrested and is out on bond. A condition of his bond is to stay within the continental United States. He asks the judge if can go on a cruise with his wife. The judge says no. End of story? Not so fast. Questions are being asked.

“Should sexual predators (accused or convicted) be permitted to cruise?”
“Should cruise lines perform background checks on passengers?”
“Should cruise lines warn passengers when a sexual predator is aboard the cruise ship?”

These are all questions being raised by maritime attorney Jim Walker who has focused on safety at sea since 1983.

“This situation illustrates a problem that most families do not consider, namely that there are sexual predators on cruises.” say Walker, referring to a case in June where a sexual predator abused a 6 year old on Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas.

Walker’s questions highlight the reality that cruise lines do not perform background checks on passengers or attempt to discover if guests have been convicted of crimes during the normal registration process.

Cruise industry organization the Cruise Lines International Association points out that “the industry takes every measure appropriate to ensure that its passengers are safe and that they have an enjoyable vacation experience.” Indeed, incidents of crime do represent a small percentage when considered among the millions of passengers who sail every year.

But Walker urges caution. “The danger as I see it is that responsible parents often get caught up in the excitement of the cruise. They let their guards down.”

Flickr photo by tom.snaps